LIFTING

APPLIANCES
FAILURE
Alpha Engineering Testing Services
Mangalore
Study of Lifting appliances failure-
Relevance

It is of relevance to the competent persons of this

workshop as the purpose is to minimize accidents
due to lifting appliances and loose gear failure
and also due to mishandling of those equipments
by the concerned.
The Crane
 is a fairly robust equipment.
 Will work well as long it is maintained well.
 To ensure safe operation and to avoid failure,
planned maintenance regime, planned Inspection
regime required under ships safety management
system for all crane, loose gears and accessories
 All records to be maintained systematically including
the test certificates of the cranes and the wire ropes
and to be available on board.
 Periodic statutory inspection and load testing to be
carried out to ensure its stability and fitness for safe
use & operation for which it is designed and to avoid
failure during use.
Analysis of the root
causes of Crane Failure
Wire Rope
• Rope failure is the most common cause of crane accidents
• Wire rope can fail due to overloading, fatigue, pre-existing defect,
deterioration & poor maintenance
• Can cause serious damage to vessel and people around due to hook
load dropping or boom falling along with rope and loose gears.
Crane Structure
Failure due to deficiency in crane structures which includes
• The Pedestal
• Housing of the crane with all sheaves and mountings,
• Slewing ring at the base of the housing
• Crane jib with heel bearings
• Mountings at jib head
Failure of any of the above can lead to catastrophical damage to the
vessel and people around
Crane Machinery
Failure due to deficiency or malfunctioning of crane machinery which
includes
• Electrical control equipment and systems
• Hydraulic pump/motors etc., rope drums, sheaves
• Brake system
• Limit switches, Cutout switches etc.
Malfunctioning in any of the above also could lead to serious damage to
the machinery and the people around.
Mishandling of crane operation
Failure due to,
• Wrong & fast swinging of loads
• Over riding of safety features
• Wrong assessment of weight of cargo to be lifted/handled.
• Dragging of the cargo on the ground
• Critical lift without supervision
• Operating beyond the set parameters of the manufacturer.
Any of the above can cause major structural collapse.
Role of Competent Person

 In order to mitigate occurrences of crane

accidents/failures as listed earlier, the competent
person must follow a strict regime of periodical
annual thorough examination and load testing of
the lifting appliance and its loose gear as per the
statutory regulations of the state.
 Inspections and testing prove the continuous
integrity of the Crane and the loose gear
associated with it and ensure that the Crane is fit
for use for the purpose for which it was designed.
Wire rope Inspection
Wire rope Inspection
 A wire rope in use over a period of time loses cross
sectional area due to corrosion, abrasion,
occurrence of wire breaks and structural changes
under load etc.
 Number of wire breaks increase during its life time
with increasing number of working cycles
 The aims of the rope inspection is to
1. Monitor the natural course of increase in wire
breaks during its working life, in order that the rope
can be discarded before it becomes unsafe.
2. Detect abnormal damage to the rope which is
usually caused by external influence. This makes it
possible to discard the rope in good time and also
in recognizing the weak areas in the reeving
system.
Inspection of critical areas on
Wire Rope
While a competent person is to inspect each and every part of
a working wire rope and reeving system, it is important that he
identifies the critical rope zones for inspection. They are
1. Rope zones which are exposed to highest number of
working cycles. – expect increased abrasions and wire
breaks
2. Loading system – the wire rope areas which are in contact
with sheaves or the rope drum at the particular time of
picking and putting down the predominant load handled
by the lifting system.
3. Rope-end connection – expect wire breaks and corrosion in
this area
4. Rope zone areas on rope drums
5. Rope zone areas where rope reversal occurs
6. Rope zone areas which are exposed to heat, chemicals
etc.
Discard Criteria of Wire Ropes

 Wire Breaks – Wire-rope to be discarded if the

permissible number of wire breaks has been
breached or exceeded. (10% of total number of
wires in 8XD length)
 Reduction in diameter in wire-rope – to be discarded
if due to structural changes its diameter has been
reduced over extended areas by 15% or more
 Corrosion – to discard if its breaking strength has
been reduced considerably. Must be discarded if
the reduction in diameter is 10% more than normal
value
 Abrasion – must be discarded if its breaking strength
and endurance has been considerably reduced
and reduction in diameter is more than 10%
Discard Criteria of Wire Ropes

 Rope deformation
1. Formation of cork screw
2. Formation of bird cages
3. Loop formation
4. Loose wires
5. Knot formation
6. Local reduction in diameter
7. Curl shape formation
8. Kinks
9. Buckling
10. Heat effects
Discard Criteria of Wire ropes
Wire rope Failure on board
Structural Inspection
Structural Inspection
 As important as the inspection of wire rope, is the
inspection of the physical crane structure which
encompasses the whole of pedestal, crane housing
with its mounting and machinery, the jib and its
mountings and the slewing ring, rope drums, sheaves.
 Failure of any of the above parts or subparts can lead
to severe damage to the crane , vessel and people.
 During inspection, the competent person would have
to inspect any severe localized corrosion of structural
parts, suspected weld joints, heavy dents on the body
etc.
 Assess the tightness of the sheave mountings, condition
of sheave bearings, sheave grooves, foundation of
rope drums and other machinery, lubrication to
sheaves, the jib body and its heel bearings and most
importantly the slew bearing system
Structural Inspection
 It has been observed that many accidents have
occurred due to slew bearing failure and earlier it
was the most neglected area during an inspection.
 It has now become mandatory that the condition of
slew bearing is checked periodically by rocking test
which indicates the healthy condition of the slew
bearing.
 The periodic grease sampling taken from the
bearing area measures the metallic content and
gives an indication of the wear taking place.
Slewing Bearing Failure
Slewing Bearing Failure
Slewing Bearing Failure
Crane Machinery
Inspection
Crane Machinery
Inspection
 The functioning of safety features of limit switches,
cut-outs and braking systems are the other aspects
of inspection which are carried out by the
competent persons
 Assessing the load carrying capacity of the
hydraulic/ electrical system .
 Wear and tear of wire rope drums, condition of
bearing, misalignment of sheaves etc.
 Tightness of foundation of machinery
Thank You